Apparatus and methods for packaging electronic devices for optical testing

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and methods are provided for packaging IC (integrated circuit) chips to enable both optical access to the back side of an IC chip and electrical access to the front side of the IC chip.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods forpackaging semiconductor IC (Integrated Circuit) chips. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to apparatus and methods forconstructing semiconductor IC chip packages that enable optical testingof semiconductor IC chips.

BACKGROUND

In general, various optical testing systems and methods have beendeveloped for debugging high-performance IC chips. For example, opticaltesting techniques include Picosecond Imaging for Circuit Analysis(PICA) EMission MIcroscopy (EMMI), Laser Voltage Probe (LVP), ThermalLaser Stimulation (TLS) and Photoelectric Laser Stimulation (PLS).Through optical testing, these optical systems provide non-invasivemethods for probing many different points of an IC chip while debugginga problem without necessarily knowing a priori the location of a faultor chip defect. Optical testing allows testing of internal signals ofthe IC chip provided that the device (transistor) level of the IC chipis optically accessible.

Typically, optical access to the transistors and other components of anIC chip is possible (or practically feasible) only from the back(non-active) side of the IC chip. Indeed, optical testing from the front(active) side surface of the IC chip is significantly impeded by thedense BEOL (back end of line) metallization structures. Most availableIC chip packages, however, are designed exclusively for electricaltesting and do not take into account the requirements of optical testingfrom the backside.

One type of IC chip design that can be readily implemented for opticaltesting from the backside using conventional packaging techniquesincludes IC chips designed for flip-chip packaging. For example, FIG. 1Aschematically illustrates a conventional apparatus (100) for flip-chippackaging. In particular, FIG. 1A depicts a flip-chip package (100)comprising a package cover (encapsulation) (110) and a first levelpackage carrier (115) (e.g., ceramic or plastic substrate) with an arrayof large solder balls (130) (e.g., BGA, ball grid array) that are usedfor bonding the substrate (115) to a card or printed circuit board (notshown). An IC chip (120) having a front side (145) and a back side (146)is flip-chip bonded to bond sites on the carrier (115) using an array offine pitch solder balls (140) (e.g., C4 (Controlled Collapsed ChipConnect)), which provide electrical connections to integrated circuitinterconnects, transistors, components, for example, formed on thefrontside (145) of the IC chip. The carrier substrate (115) provides aspace transformation between electrical connections from the chip to theprinted circuit board.

With such conventional flip-chip packaging design, the IC chip (120) canbe optically probed from the backside (146) without interference fromthe metal wiring, e.g., BEOL, carrier wiring, and solder ballconnections (140). Such optical probing can be performed directly on theflip-chip packaged chip (120), if desired, by removing the encapsulationor cover (110).

With other conventional packaging designs, such as TCA (temporary chipattached) packages, IC chips designed for flip-chip BGA (ball gridarray) packages can be mounted to TCA packages to allow optical testingfrom the backside of the IC chip. TCA packages can be used for testing achip during the chip prototyping phase.

On the other hand, IC chips that are designed for wire-bond typepackaging do not allow for optical testing from the backside. FIG. 1Bschematically illustrates a conventional apparatus (150) for wire-bondchip packaging. In particular, a wire-bond chip package (150) comprisesa package cover (encapsulation) (160) and a package carrier (163) (e.g.,ceramic or plastic substrate) with an array of large solder balls (164)that are used for soldering the substrate (163) to a card or printedcircuit board (not shown). An IC chip (165) having a front side (166)and a back side (167) is backside mounted to the carrier substrate (163)using solder or other adhesives, for example. A plurality of wire bonds(180) are formed to make electrical connections between bond pads, whichare formed around the perimeter of the front side (166) surface of thechip (165), to bond pads (not shown) that are formed on the carriersubstrate (163).

With this type of packaging, even with the cover (160) removed, as notedabove, optical access to the integrated circuit components in the frontside (166) of the chip (165) is difficult and impractical due to theBEOL metallization. Thus, IC chips designed for wire-bond type packagingare generally not suitable for optical testing. In fact, optical testingcannot be performed (or is not practically feasible) for IC chips (suchas wire-bond type chips) that cannot, by design, be mounted for testingusing a TCA package or which cannot be packaged (e.g. flip-chippackages) in a manner that enables free optical access to the backsidesubstrate for optical testing.

Moreover, certain chips that can not be mounted for testing in TCApackages require custom package designs. For example, when an IC chip istaken off the production line before the final metals are formed, evenif the final product will use a flip-chip package, the chip cannot bemounted in a TCA package. Moreover, optical testing is not feasible whenthe cost for a TCA package (which can be thousands of dollars) is toohigh for a given testing budget. Furthermore, when an IC chip is to beused after optical testing, most packages are designed such that the ICchip will be damaged or destroyed if the IC chip is removed from thepackage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In general, exemplary embodiments of the invention include apparatus andmethods for packaging semiconductor IC (integrated circuit) chips. Morespecifically, exemplary embodiments of the invention include apparatusand methods for packaging IC chips to enable both optical access to theback side of the IC chip and electrical access to the front side of theIC chip.

In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, an apparatus for packagingan IC chip comprises a mounting plate having a first surface and asecond surface. The mounting plate is used for mounting an IC chiphaving a front (active) surface and a back (non-active) surface ismounted to the mounting plate, wherein the back surface of the chip ismounted to the first surface of the mounting plate. The portion of themounting plate adjacent the back surface of the IC chip is transparentto one or more wavelengths of light to allow photons to pass through themounting plate between the first and second surfaces. For purposes ofoptical testing, the mounting plate is transparent to photons emittedfrom the IC chip and/or transparent to photons emitted by a laser thatis used to irradiate the IC chip.

In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the package apparatuscomprises a package body, wherein the mounting plate is attached to thepackage body. The package body includes wires and connectors to providean electrical interface to the IC chip. The package body may be formedusing a printed circuit board.

In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the package bodyincludes an aperture region formed between a first and second surface ofthe package body. The mounting plate is attached to the first surface ofthe package body such that the IC chip is aligned and inserted into theaperture. The package structure further includes wire bond connectionsbetween bond pads on the front surface of the IC chip and wires or bondpads formed on the package body.

In yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention, one or moreoff-chip electrical components are mounted on the first surface, secondsurface or first and second surfaces of the package body.

In another embodiment of the invention, an index matching material canbe disposed between the mounting plate and the back surface of the ICchip. The index matching material may be bonding material that is usedto bond the back surface of the IC chip to the mounting plate. Inanother exemplary embodiment, the mounting plate may be formed of amaterial that is doped with another material to match an index ofrefraction of the mounting plate to an index of refraction of substratematerial of the IC chip. The mounting plate can be formed of silicon,glass, quartz, diamond, or other suitable material(s).

These and other exemplary embodiments, aspects, features and advantagesof the present invention will be described or become apparent from thefollowing detailed description of exemplary embodiments, which is to beread in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A schematically illustrates a conventional apparatus for flip-chippackaging.

FIG. 1B schematically illustrates a conventional apparatus for wire-bondchip packaging.

FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate an apparatus for packaging asemiconductor integrated circuit chip according to an exemplaryembodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B schematically depict methods for optically testing an ICchip that is packaged using packaging apparatus and methods according toexemplary embodiments of the invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams that schematically depict the photoncollection efficiency for an exemplary packaging apparatus, wherein FIG.4A depicts photon collection efficiency with an air gap present betweena mounting plate and the back side surface of an IC chip, and whereinFIG. 4B depicts photon collection efficiency when a layer of matchingmaterial is disposed between the mounting plate and the back sidesurface of the IC chip.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate an apparatus for packaging asemiconductor IC chip, according to an exemplary embodiment of theinvention. More specifically, FIG. 2B is a schematic perspective view ofa package apparatus (200) according to an exemplary embodiment of theinvention and FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional side view of the apparatus(200) taken along line 2A-2A in FIG. 2B. The exemplary apparatus (200)provides both optical access to a back side (261) of a semiconductor ICchip (260) and electrical access to a front side (262) of the IC chip(260), to thereby enable optical testing of the IC chip (260). It is tobe appreciated that the IC chip (260) may be any type of chip, such as aflip-chip type chip or wire-bond type chips, or an IC chip that ispulled off a production line before completion, e.g., before BEOLmetallization, for purposes of testing.

The package apparatus (200) comprises a package body (210) having afirst surface (S1) and second surface (S2), a plurality of pinconnectors (230) (which may be ball or other types of connectors,depending on the application), and an aperture (240) formed through thefirst and second surfaces (S1), (S2). The package body (210) may beformed of any suitable structure. For instance, the package body (210)may be formed using a single-sided PCB (printed circuit board)comprising a dielectric substrate material with a thin layer of metal onone surface (e.g., S2) thereof. In this regard, the metal layer onsurface (S2) can be patterned to form wires and wire bond pads (notshown) on the surface (S2) of the package body (210) which areelectrically connected to the pin connectors (230) to provide anelectrical interface to the IC chip (260). In other exemplaryembodiments, the package body (210) can be formed using ceramic orplastic materials using techniques known to those of ordinary skill inthe art.

The apparatus (200) further comprises a mounting plate (220) (ormounting substrate) having opposite surfaces (S3) and (S4). The IC chip(260) is mounted to a surface (S3) of the mounting plate (220) (i.e.,the back side (261) surface of the chip (260) is mounted to the surface(S3) of the mounting plate (220). The mounting plate (220) is attachedto the package body (210) such that the IC chip (260) is aligned with,and inserted into, the aperture (240) and such that a peripheral regionof surface (S3) of the mounting plate (220) is in contact with aperipheral region of surface (S1) of the package body (210) surroundingthe aperture (240). Wirebonds (250) are formed from bond pads (or bondsites) on the front side (262) surface of the IC chip (260) toappropriate bond pads or wires on the bottom surface (S2) of the packagebody (210).

The exemplary package apparatus (200) allows optical access to thetransistor/component level of the chip from the back side (261) of theIC chip (260) for purposes of optical testing. For instance, as depictedin FIG. 3A, optical testing can be performed by collecting and analyzingphotons (300) that are emitted from the back side (261) of the chip(260) which pass through the mounting plate (220). In another exemplaryembodiment as depicted in FIG. 3B, optical testing of the chip (260) canbe performed by using a laser beam (350) to irradiate certain points ofinterest within the chip (260) through the mounting plate (220) and backside of the chip (260), and then measuring electrical signals obtainedvia the front side electrical access of the chip (260) to determine theelectrical response of circuit components. In yet another exemplaryembodiment, chip testing can be performed by focusing a laser beam ontothe IC chip and then collecting and analyzing a reflected beam foroptically testing the chip.

The mounting plate (220) is formed using any suitable material(s) withcertain properties and an appropriate thickness such that the mountingplate (220) is “transparent” to light at one or more wavelengths ofinterest for the optical testing. In other words, for a given material(or materials) forming the mounting plate with a given thickness, themounting plate (220) should be “transparent”, i.e., permeable toelectromagnetic energy of one or more wavelengths of interest suitablefor optical testing, such that photons can pass through the mountingplate (220) between surfaces S1 and S2. For example, in one exemplaryembodiment, the mounting plate (220) is designed to be transparent atwavelengths in the range of about 0.8 μm to about 1.7 μm to allowmeasuring of hot-carrier luminescence. The level or degree oftransparency required or desired will vary depending on the application.

The mounting plate (220) can be made of any suitable material(s) such asglass, diamond, quartz, organic materials, plastics, etc., which rendersthe mounting plate (220) (with a certain thickness) transparent at thewavelength(s) of interest. Although transparency of the mounting plate(220) is one primary consideration, other factors that may be consideredin designing the mounting plate (220) include structural integrity andheat dissipation. Indeed, in addition to transparency, the material andthickness of the mounting plate (220) should be selected to providesuitable structural integrity and rigidity to support the chip (260)during the testing procedures and to prevent breakage when the chip(260) is attached to the mounting plate (220). Indeed, depending on theproperties of the material(s) used, although the mounting plate (220)may be sufficiently transparent at a wavelength of interest for a giventhickness, such thickness may be too thin to provide the structuralintegrity required for the given application.

In other exemplary embodiments, in addition to transparency andstructural integrity, the mounting plate (220) could be formed with oneor more materials that provide sufficient thermal conductivity toconduct heat away from the IC chip (260). In this regard, the mountingplate (220) would act as a heat spreader to conduct heat from the chip(260), wherein heat is removed from the mounting plate (220) by methodssuch as forced air cooling or liquid cooling. For example, for a givenapplication, a transparent silicon substrate of an appropriate thicknesscan be used as the mounting plate (220), because of the high heatconduction and dissipation properties of silicon. Based on the teachingsherein, one of ordinary skill in the art would be able to readilydetermine an appropriate compromise between rigidity, heat conductionand optical transmission when designing a mounting plate (220) of apackaging structure for a given application.

Exemplary methods for fabricating a package structure such as depictedin FIGS. 2A and 2B will now be discussed. Some initial steps inconstructing a package structure include fabricating the mounting plate(220) and mounting the back side (261) surface of the IC chip (260) tothe mounting plate (220). To enable sufficient optical access to theback side (261) of the IC chip (260), the substrate of the IC chip (260)can be thinned to enable photons emitted from the chip devices (e.g.,transistors) to pass through the back side substrate and be emitted fromthe back side (261) surface of the IC chip (260). In this regard, in oneexemplary embodiment of the invention, the IC chip (260) may be preparedfor optical testing by subjecting the IC chip (260) to lapping,grinding, and/or polishing to thin down the chip substrate to athickness of about 100 μm or less.

As noted above, the mounting plate (220) will be designed with one ormore materials and thickness, to provide a sufficient level oftransparency at the wavelength(s) of interest, while providingsufficient strength and rigidity to mitigate the risk of fracturing themounting plate (220) during processing, bonding or assembly. Inaddition, as noted above, the mounting plate (220) may be designed toprovide an effective means for cooling the IC chip (260) mounted theretoduring optical testing of the chip (260).

Various methods according to exemplary embodiments of the invention canbe implemented for mounting the back surface (261) of the IC chip (260)to the surface of the mounting plate (220). For instance, in oneexemplary embodiment, the IC chip (260) may be mounted to the mountingplate (220) by placing the back side (261) surface of the IC chip (260)directly on a surface of the mounting plate (220), and then placing gluedroplets (or other bonding/adhesive material) on the corners of the chip(260) or along the sides of the chip (260) to bond the chip (260) to thesurface of the plate (220). In this embodiment, the glue should becarefully applied to avoid glue from flowing on the front side (262)surface of the chip (260) and making undesirable electrical connectionsbetween bonding pads on the front side (262) surface and/or limiting theoptical access to the IC chip (260).

Further, is preferable to prevent glue material from flowing in theinterface between the back side (261) surface of the IC chip (260) andthe surface of the mounting plate (220), to thereby avoid non-planarityand formation of air gaps between the back side (261) surface of thechip (260) and the surface of the mounting plate (220). Indeed, asdiscussed below with reference to FIG. 4A, the existence of an air gapbetween the back side (261) surface of the chip (260) and the surface ofthe mounting plate (220) can cause a decrease in the transmittance oflight from the chip (260) through the mounting plate (220) towardscollection lenses and, thus, reduce the detection efficiency for opticaltesting.

In other exemplary embodiments of the invention, the chip (260) may bebonded to the mounting plate (220) using a layer of bonding material,such as specific glue, which acts as a matching index material toimprove the collection efficiency of the photons emitted from the backside (261) of the chip. Indeed, as discussed below with reference toFIG. 4B, the use of a matching index material having an index ofrefraction, n_(M), between the index of refraction, n_(si), of thesubstrate material forming of the chip (260) and the index ofrefraction, n_(g), of the material forming the mounting plate (220),will raise the transmittance of light through the mounting plate (220)toward collection lenses during optical testing.

In other exemplary embodiments of the invention, the IC chip (260) canbe mounted using reusable mechanical means such as clips or clamps, forexample, to provide temporary mounting mechanisms that enable the ICchip (260) to be readily removed from the mounting plate (220). Thisallows the IC chip (260) to be reused, or repackaged or sold tocustomers.

Thereafter, the mounting plate (220) with the IC chip (260) attachedthereto is mounted to the package body (210). In particular, in oneexemplary embodiment as noted above, the package body (210) comprises anaperture (240). Bonding material such as glue or other types of adhesivecan be placed on the surface (S1) of the package body (210) around theperiphery of the aperture (240). The mounting plate (220) is thenmaneuvered to align and insert the IC chip (260) into the aperture (240)while the peripheral region of the surface (S3) of the mounting plate(220) makes contact with the bonding material disposed on the packagebody (210) to thereby rigidly fix the mounting plate (220) to thepackage body (210). In other exemplary embodiments of the invention, thepackage apparatus (200) can be constructed by first attaching themounting plate (220) to the package body (210), and then mounting the ICchip (260) to the mounting plate (220).

With the IC chip (260) mounted on the mounting plate (220), wire bondscan be formed between bond pads on the front side (262) surface of thechip (260) and bond pads or wires formed on the bottom surface (S2) ofthe package body (210). It is preferable to minimize the length of thewirebonds. Therefore, the size of the aperture (240) should be formed assmall as possible based on the dimensions of the IC chip (260).Moreover, the bonding wires should not make contact with the packagebody (210) and thus, the package body (210) should be formed as thin aspossible around the aperture (240). It is further desirable for thestarting and finishing points of the wire bonding to be close togetherin terms of distance and altitude. Thus, in other exemplary embodimentsof the invention, the package structure (200) can be designed such thatthe front side (262) surface of the chip (260) and bond pads formed onthe package body (210) are substantially coplanar (on the same level).

As noted above, the package body (210) comprises wiring that provideselectrical connections from the pin connectors (230) to bond pads orbond wire sites having bond wires (250) that connect to bond pads on thefront side (262) surface of the IC chip (260). The arrangement/layout ofthe pin connectors (230) will vary depending on the application, testprocedure, test board module, and/or chip being tested. For example, thepitch between the pins (230) and spacing between rows of pins (230) willbe designed in accordance with the design of the socket module of thetesting board of the optical testing tool (e.g., PICA tool) used foroptical testing. The package apparatus (200) is mounted to the testingboard by inserting the pin connectors (230) into the appropriate slotsin the socket module, as is understood by those of ordinary skill in theart. In this regard, it is to be appreciated that a package apparatusaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the invention can be readilydesigned to meet the requirements of the electronic testing apparatusand testing board.

In other exemplary embodiments of the invention, electronic devices suchas capacitors, resistors, driver circuits, and other electronic devicesor circuits may be electrically mounted on the package body (210). Thesecomponents may provide the necessary off-chip circuits fortesting/operating the IC chip (260), provide the necessary impedancematching networks, or provide other functions necessary or desired fortesting the IC chip (260).

It is to be appreciated that the fabrication methods described above aremerely exemplary and that one of ordinary skill in the art can readilyenvision other methods for constructing package structures according tothe invention. For instance, in other exemplary embodiments of theinvention, a chip packaging manufacture can construct various standardor custom packaging structures (which are the same or similar to thepackaging structure of FIGS. 2A and 2B) for commercial sale to variouscustomers (e.g., chip manufactures). In such instance, the user (chipmanufacture) would simply mount an IC chip to be tested to a standard orcustom designed package apparatus and make the necessary wire bondconnections from the chip to the package structure.

More specifically, a package manufacture can construct various types ofstandardized package structures that are compatible with standard chipsizes and optical testing tools, for example, which can be purchased bycustomers such as chip manufactures. When testing a chip, a standardpackage structure can be modified on site (e.g., adding off-chipcomponents, rerouting metal wiring, etc.) to meet specific testingrequirements or procedures. Alternatively, a package manufacture canconstruct custom package structures based on customer specifications. Inall such instances, the customer could purchase a given packagestructure and then mount an IC chip to be tested to the mounting plateportion of the package structure using methods described above.

As noted above, the exemplary package apparatus (200) allows opticalaccess to the back side (261) of the IC chip (260) for purposes ofoptical testing. As depicted in FIG. 3A, optical testing can beperformed by collecting and analyzing photons (300) that are emittedfrom the back side (261) of the chip (260) which pass through themounting plate (220). Conventional optical testing tools and proceduresknown to those of ordinary skill in the art can be used for opticallytesting the IC chip (260). For instance, electrical signals from thetesting board of the optical testing tool (e.g., PICA tool) can be inputto the chip (260) via the electrical interface (wiring, connectors,etc.) of the package body (210), and an objective lens can be positionedat certain points over the IC chip (260) to collect photons (300)emitted from the back side (261) of the chip (260).

In other exemplary embodiments of the invention such as depicted in FIG.3B, optical testing of the chip can be performed using a laser beam(350) to irradiate certain points of interest within the chip (260)through the mounting plate (220) and through the back side of the chip(260), and then determine the electrical response of circuit componentsby measuring internal electrical signals of the chip (260) via theelectrical interface provided by the package body (210). The response tothe incident photons are measured by the testing device to which thechip (260) is connected. The incident photons may be generated eithersynchronously or asynchronously with the chip operation and testingprocedure.

During optical testing, cooling mechanisms such as diamond windows orspray (air, nitrogen or specific cooling sprays) or other suitablecooling techniques may be implemented for cooling the IC chip (260).These cooling materials can be applied to the surface of the mountingplate opposite the surface on which the chip (260) is mounted.

It is to be appreciated that packaging structures according to exemplaryembodiments of the invention may be implemented with Solid ImmersionLens (SIL) systems, which can be used for increasing the numericaperture of the optical system that collects the photons emitted fromthe back side (261) of the chip (260). SIL lenses can be applieddirectly to the transparent mounting plates on the surface opposite thesurface on which the IC chip is mounted. Instead of SIL lenses, liquidimmersion lenses may be employed since the liquid only contacts thesurface of the mounting plate opposite the surface on which the chip ismounted.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams that schematically depict the photoncollection efficiency for an exemplary packaging apparatus. Inparticular, FIG. 4A depicts photon collection efficiency with respect toan objective lens (400) with an air gap (410) present between themounting plate (220) and the back side (261) surface of the IC chip(260). FIG. 4B depicts photon detection efficiency of the objective lens(400) when a layer (420) of matching material is disposed between themounting plate (220) and the back side (261) surface of the IC chip(260).

In the exemplary depictions, the reference label A denotes a point fromwhich photons are emitted from within the chip (260), D denotes thediameter of the objective lens (400), WD denotes the working distance(or focal length) of the objective (400) in air, LF denotes a distancebetween the objective (400) and the surface of the mounting plate (220),H denotes the thickness of the mounting plate (220), t₁ denotes thethickness of the air gap (410), t₂ denotes the thickness of the layer(420) of matching material, and W denotes the distance from the photonemission point A to the back side (261) surface of the chip (260).

It is known that a light ray will bend toward a normal to a boundarysurface when the ray propagates into a region with a higher index ofrefraction and that a ray will bend away from the normal to a boundarysurface when the ray propagates into a region with a lower index ofrefraction. In the exemplary diagrams, it is assumed that the refractiveindex, n_(g), of the mounting plate (220) is smaller than the refractiveindex, n_(si), of the chip substrate (260) and that the refractiveindex, n_(M), of the matching material 420) is between n_(g) and n_(si).Assume further that the thickness t₁ of the air space (410) is the samethickness t₂ of the layer (420) of matching material.

From FIGS. 4A and 4B, one can glean that the angles ψ, ξ, φ are widerwhen a matching index material (420) is used as depicted in FIG. 4B, asopposed to when an air interface (410) exists as depicted in FIG. 4A.Moreover, using the basic formulas of optics, the distance LF betweenthe objective lens (400) and the surface of the mounting plate (220) islower and the collecting angle can reach higher values, thus allowing amore efficient collection of the light from the emission point A.Moreover, the transmission of light from A to the objective (400) ishigher due to the matching of refractive indexes. The transmittingcoefficient T can be written as

$T = \frac{4 \cdot n_{1} \cdot n_{2}}{\left( {n_{1} + n_{2}} \right)^{2}}$for normal incidence. The maximum of T can be achieved only with anappropriate matching index material (420).

It is to be appreciated that in other exemplary embodiments of theinvention, instead of, or in addition to, using the layer of matchingmaterial (420), the mounting plate (220) can be doped with some suitablematerial that enables increased matching for increasing detectionefficiency, as is understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Forexample, as is known in the art, certain impurities (e.g., metal) can beadded to glass material (silica oxide) to change the optical properties.

Although exemplary embodiments of the invention have been describedherein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to those preciseembodiments, and that various other changes and modifications may beaffected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from thescope or spirit of the invention. All such changes and modifications areintended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined bythe appended claims.

1. An apparatus for packaging electronic devices, comprising: a mountingplate having a first surface and a second surface; an IC (integratedcircuit) chip having a front surface and a back surface, wherein theback surface of the chip is mounted to the first surface of the mountingplate; a package body, wherein the mounting plate is attached to thepackage body; wherein at least a portion of the mounting plate adjacentthe back surface of the IC chip is transparent to one or morewavelengths of light to allow photons to pass through the mounting platebetween the first and second surfaces; wherein the package bodycomprises a first surface, a second surface and an aperture formedbetween the first and second surfaces of the package body, and whereinthe mounting plate is attached to the first surface of the package bodysuch that the IC chip is aligned and inserted into the aperture; and oneor more off-chip electrical components mounted on the first surface,second surface or first and second surfaces of the package body.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein said portion of the mounting plate istransparent to photons emitted from the IC chip.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein said portion of the mounting plate is transparent tophotons emitted by a laser that is used to irradiate the IC chip.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the package body further comprises wiresand connectors to provide an electrical interface to the IC chip.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1, further comprising wire bonds connected to bondpads on the front surface of the IC chip and to wires or bond padsformed on the second surface of the package body.
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the package body is formed using a printed circuitboard.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an index matchingmaterial disposed between the mounting plate and the back surface of theIC chip.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the index matchingmaterial comprises bond material that is used to bond the back surfaceof the IC chip to the mounting plate.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the mounting plate comprises a material that is doped withanother material to match an index of refraction of the mounting plateto an index of refraction of substrate material of the IC chip.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting plate is formed of silicon.11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting plate is formed ofglass.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mounting plate isformed of quartz.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mountingplate is formed of diamond.
 14. An apparatus for packaging electronicdevices, comprising: a mounting plate having a first surface and asecond surface; an IC (integrated circuit) chip having a front surfaceand a back surface, wherein the back surface of the chip is mounted tothe first surface of the mounting plate; and a package body, wherein themounting plate is attached to the package body, wherein at least aportion of the mounting plate adjacent the back surface of the IC chipis transparent to one or more wavelengths of light to allow photons topass through the mounting plate between the first and second surfaces,wherein the package body comprises a first surface, a second surface andan aperture formed between the first and second surfaces of the packagebody, wherein the mounting plate is attached to the first surface of thepackage body such that the IC chip is aligned and inserted into theaperture, and wherein the mounting plate comprises a material that isdoped with another material to match an index of refraction of themounting plate to an index of refraction of substrate material of the ICchip.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the package body furthercomprises wires and connectors to provide an electrical interface to theIC chip.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising wire bondsconnected to bond pads on the front surface of the IC chip and to wiresor bond pads formed on the second surface of the package body.
 17. Theapparatus of claim 14, further comprising one or more off-chipelectrical components mounted on the first surface, second surface orfirst and second surfaces of the package body.
 18. The apparatus ofclaim 14, wherein the package body is formed using a printed circuitboard.
 19. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising an indexmatching material disposed between the mounting plate and the backsurface of the IC chip.
 20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the indexmatching material comprises bond material that is used to bond the backsurface of the IC chip to the mounting plate.
 21. An apparatus forpackaging electronic devices, comprising: a mounting plate having afirst surface and a second surface; an IC (integrated circuit) chiphaving a front surface and a back surface, wherein the back surface ofthe chip is mounted to the first surface of the mounting plate; apackage body, wherein the mounting plate is attached to the packagebody; wherein at least a portion of the mounting plate adjacent the backsurface of the IC chip is transparent to one or more wavelengths oflight to allow photons to pass through the mounting plate between thefirst and second surfaces; wherein the package body comprises a firstsurface, a second surface and an aperture formed between the first andsecond surfaces of the package body, and wherein the mounting plate isattached to the first surface of the package body such that the IC chipis aligned and inserted into the aperture; and an index matchingmaterial disposed between the mounting plate and the back surface of theIC chip.
 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the index matchingmaterial comprises bond material that is used to bond the back surfaceof the IC chip to the mounting plate.
 23. The apparatus of claim 21wherein the package body further comprises wires and connectors toprovide an electrical interface to the IC chip.
 24. The apparatus ofclaim 21, further comprising wire bonds connected to bond pads on thefront surface of the IC chip and to wires or bond pads formed on thesecond surface of the package body.
 25. The apparatus of claim 21,further comprising one or more off-chip electrical components mounted onthe first surface, second surface or first and second surfaces of thepackage body.
 26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the package body isformed using a printed circuit board.